The MC.
The solo player to
a
good evening and welcome to hello it's us
a program based on the premise that life in general goes better if it's all of us
working together as opposed to you me and them working at cross purposes Hello it's
us is brought to you through
a collaboration of the Center for said disability and development the extended
Dream Foundation and all the folks here at public access television channel eight
to I'm Terry Cunningham one of your co-hosts Keith ruff as always
is here with us too and I would be this week we're going to be talking
about Bill sector this. Week would have been his hundred first
birthday and the celebration that we're having for
him unfortunately due to
a brain fart on my part the show was airing after the event occurred
so he won't have been able to join us for cake the good new me
he will need who will do this.
It certainly has and. By
a weird coincidence. Mickey Rooney who brought bill to life on the
big screen and to the movies was passed on Sunday at the age of ninety three.
And he was had quite
a life himself he was one of the very early child stars.
Made countless movies had almost countless lives made and
lost countless fortunes and had experienced
pretty much all the best and worst the ruling could offer. No no.
I did yeah. He was he was in
a lot. And thought
a lot of Bill Yeah I mean he the two of them became pretty good friends
and oh he his story is he had him on the set of the second movie and had
a chair with Bill's name on the next to his chair so and it
was very much due to him.
That the whole story of Bill came forward and helped
to begin to change the public attitude toward
folks with disabilities. Was I liked and.
They didn't know that. It was.
On the. Down not not having known Bill.
Or the story beforehand I agree and.
It wasn't. Over acted more like so many movies.
Which you're supposed to only didn't know the then town.
So the the story of Bill begins and
when
a soda where he and his. Russian Jewish immigrant great
family lived in St Paul I believe. And
is parents owned
a grocery store and they lived about and Bill's father died when he was four years
old and Bill started school
and was what we would now call slow yes'.
And then you would know why then one day who.
Saw the school system convinced his mother that he was
an educated man and I believe they and the doctor convinced her
that that he would be such
a burden on her life and and she had at least one daughter
and that it would be in the best interest to put Bill in institution
and though the new in New York mean dragon then the one
who I. Was doing doesn't.
Really Come move with so Bill was was placed in an
institution in terrible Minnesota. And it was one of the old big
drafty state institutions where. Things like
education and social interaction and teaching some of the basic
social skills and basic survival skill no that didn't have them
so Bill was in the institution for forty four years I think and
then on this in the sixty's early sixty's when the big
deal institutionalization. And Community Living
started yes. He he booted out of an institution.
And found a job the job was found for him at
a fancy country club in Minneapolis St Paul and
that was where he met moron who befriended him along with her husband
Barry and. They started doing
a lot of different things with Bill and Barry except
the job at the University of Iowa in the school social work in this new
Audioboo deal Department type. And Bill came with them
to Iowa City. And I was city being much smaller than
Minneapolis St Paul. There was a real problem in finding Bill
a job so it turned out the School of Social Work
kind of adopted bill and tried him on
lots and lots of jobs. A fair number of them in which he failed
spectacularly. Like ending up in the middle of a cornfield in
a pickup that somebody was teaching him to drive them one where you nearly caught
something on fire and. Then someone came up with the idea
of let's ask him what he wants to do marvelous and he thought that
maybe he'd like to sell coffee so they got him a little cart than
a copy pot. And he.
That was what the beginnings of oil bills coffee shop in north all was and one of
the things was that. Little Bill could make change
so when somebody would would come get
a coffee. They were on the honor system I guess to
put in whatever it cost or put in more and take the proper amount of change
but ultimately that worked out and. Bill was.
Getting along pretty good manage take the buses in and. Over the years I guess
accumulated lots and lots of friends you know what the hell.
You can. Do. Yeah as I as
I understand it Bill didn't view anybody as
a stranger just as
a friend who had met he had met yet. So then
Barry. Barry decided he wanted to. Now let me get this straight.
Barry was approached to do
a film about Bill and presented it
to
a group Band one way or another that group didn't fund it but somebody else did
so the movie was made then. Yes and.
Bill received the handicapped I wanted the word of the Year award and.
Was invited all over the country and Canada and whatever
to meet people because. This was thought to be an astounding
accomplishment that an individual in his situation
would be able to do that the things that he did we.
Told. Him pretty much pretty much so
Barry decided he wanted to move to California and and take
a shot that screenplays and movies and whatever and
they asked Bill if he wanted to go and he said no that he had lots of friends and
such and I was a B.
You know just didn't think this is one to go and from his days in the
institution he apparently had
a two dollar bill that was his lucky piece and he took it out
and he gave it to Barry and said if you're going to California
you need this more than I do. And last year at Bill's
hundredth anniversary party Barry took that bill out. He
pulled out of his wallet that two dollar bill that he had wrapped in another two
dollar bill and he has carry that with him for for all the years so Barry
moved out to California and. Had some success with the
films did
a little film called Rain Man. One or two people. So
Bill stayed in in I was sitting. And
got along well died in his sleep one night. But you know I had had managed to
do so many things that were out of place that they will really
need of. Lou. With.
The video you can. Well and you know
the thing that. Is kind of sad about the whole situation was.
He was able to get to that point after you know all the the mistreatment in that
and you have to kind of wonder if he'd gotten the education
that he should have gotten and had gotten those survival skills of
being able to make
a phone call being able to make change and that how much farther. He
might of might have been able to go but on the other hand
you look at all the people. Who were in
institutions then but didn't help
a Bevan Barrymore only be friendly and and kind. See
that glimmer in there and give them the opportunity to do things you know.
Be involved with their family be involved with their children all of the things
that if thousands and thousands of other people had
been afforded that opportunity would have been able to to been
successful with the Libyan Geico give go of the pay when done and
would then anyway. For the real you
yeah and. You know there were so many people last year
from now back when Bill was alive in Iowa
City who came back to tell stories about it yet you know and
that he genuinely. Touched the lives of so many
people and I was sitting and lured the day doing what for no
one the. Longer the. Yeah well I mean so many people are
are like that but yeah the fact that. He just did
was able to do what he wanted to do now and then all the little side stories of you
know Bill discovered religion being Jewish studies
studying for his Bar Mitzvah and had his bar mitzvah which I guess typically it
occurs is that
a teenager years and years decades later in
a little own doing when you line. One that
really. You. Yeah he he
did manage to come across an awful lot of people with very big hearts
too but. And I guess as well as studying
his provider mitzvah he was kind of an equal opportunity worshipper and I
guess if the spirit struck him he'd go to most any church and which is fine
but you know that that was so important and it's just.
Having gotten more people out would have been able to happen
how many more stories that that maybe you know
not everybody would have heard about you know clearly we heard about Bill because
there was a screenplay written and
a movie done. But if the movie hadn't happened I think Bill
probably still would have made an impact and I owe you know.
So if there had been thousands of other people out in communities who had been
given the opportunity to do that. What kind of an impact might they have been able
to make and because it would have been people in their own
community who were seeing them and and watching them do this instead of
people watching
a movie and you know honestly wondering how much of it was true and
doing the all but thing but you know it's just how much
farther we could have been. Who knows maybe the eighty eight wouldn't have been
necessary Yeah if there had been more then I wasn't of people out there more
on the sea that awareness because we've talked before about the fact even
when when we were growing up you didn't see
a whole lot of folks with this buildings out public who didn't see people with
disabilities and actually activities. Are going
to get. It you might see one or two but you know aspires being it at sporting
events or movies or plays or things like that. You just didn't see
people out and about and that was you know part of the mystique. With
a company where they live where they stay and that was that was back when they had
separate schools yet you know your interaction was low that was pretty limited
where no good knowing when that. When they they
didn't they will turn you away we go No it didn't
do. The amp. Then so anyway
Saturdays. We're having
a party Bill Yeah and it will last all day starting at ten o'clock
with a different band and
a different cake and every hour. And we hope that folks will have
seen the published report and will join this.
And that there continue to joins as we said. While Bill's coffee shop still
exists in North Hall what's now
Bill's. Coffee Shop and community center has had
a couple transitions and locations of many years believe it was formerly known
as one Wild Bill Small and then when
they moved here I really became known as Uptown Bill.
So and you know uptown bill is a coffee shop it's
a bookstore it's
a community meeting center where all kinds of different groups
meet it's an entertainment venue we have activities pretty much every night of the
week have live music a few nights
a week but I think most importantly.
And one of the things that really pulled me toward it once I started coming over
was. It's really
a very safe and welcoming environment you know people.
Aren't afraid to talk to people and then in fact in all likelihood you won't make
it all the way from the print door back to the to the coffee bar without somebody.
Having spoken to you. We have the. Incredible age
group we have lots of folks
with and without this bill these who come. And I say we
because there's the extended Dream Foundation
which is kind of the umbrella for the Uptown bills and the been
to shop. And I'm president of that board of directors. So
the we is very much there and
a very good way. To moon No I did you argue.
By. The way when. They mention we're book stored.
It is then when we have lots and lots of college students. Who
volunteer with
a lot and most of them from the social work and psychology areas but
a lot of them who come in watts of other folks who come in and have
a cup of coffee chat come to some of the Saturday evening programs.
And we would certainly love to have everybody come join us sometime we have an
incredible variety of teas if you're
a tea fan and we have an incredible variety of soda. So if you've been
wondering where to get that bottle of peanut butter so with her bacon soda or
cucumber white or lots of kinds of ginger ale and root
beer we're the place to come in your view of all we have the
real the I. Love. You name would know.
The. I knew there. To know. And you
can find this seven thirty south to be exterior of the building just above P.
Eighty T.V.
Channel eighteen kind
a kitty corner from the County Health and Human Services Building Langley
is the camp were open Monday through Saturday.
Anyway you do I know probably who isn't in
one pile. And we are
a nonprofit agency So if you're looking for someplace to
spend part of that Pax refund. We certainly hope you'll consider us anyway there.
Are Web sites uptown Bills dot org Or we can reach be reached by phone at
three one nine three three nine zero eight zero four
and that's about it for this evening I hope you all are starting to over
enjoy the actual nice spring weather that appears to be here hopefully the state
and we'll we all hope you get
a little new condo. And will bring them
with glowing in knowing against whom you.
Take Carol I'm a good a we.